come what may
by SecretBox
Summary: When the storm is over; — sasuke ო aerith.


**A/N:** I'm not going to waste time with an explanation, but Sasurith is a cute little crack pairing of my own creation. –giggles- Anyone who knows me, will know that the pairing either : A) makes me squee like mad, B) smile like the dork that I am or C) giggle quite happily -- it's just a bit odd. At any rate, I honestly think that they go really well together. Which is saying quite a lot considering how much I adore SasuHina/Clorith, both of which are hinted at in this fic because I simply couldn't resist. Then again, if you ask me, all Aerith and Hinata pairings are love.

Oh, and your reviews are most appreciated as well. Thanks! ;D

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

**come what may;**

sasuke x aerith

**Giftfic** . for . _Miss Aerith ._

x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x

_Rain, rain go away . . ._

As a child, he still remembers hearing this tune whispered as grey, taunting clouds climbed into the sky with promises of bitter, murky water, and raindrops splashed off of every visible surface in Konohagakure.

Much like the weather is like in his current location. In this strange, new world Sasuke Uchiha finds himself in, the air is bitterly cold, the wind howling itself hoarse as the rain pummels the ground mercilessly; he has only just landed between stone buildings with his feet on the ground when the nameless beasts surge around him. He lashes out with nimble, precise movements, ebony orbs positively swirling as each move is delivered with a deadly accuracy. A menagerie of pudgy, little black shadows on all sides evaporate into thin air. But no matter how many of them he kills that much more seem to regenerate again, reappearing in waves. Their yellow orbs shine eerily in the dank dark, creeping at an alarming rate along the alleyway wall, out of the rain gutters, and just plain everywhere.

Sasuke doesn't remember reading about this manner of monstrosities in any ancient textbook.

One of the beasts darts forward in an attack, its thick claws swiping at his chest. Another slams into his left side with enough force to knock the air from his lungs, and throws him to the cobblestone. Anger surges up in him. How could he have been so careless to let them get this close?

Once it is finally over, the stoic ninja emerges victorious from the alleyway with his head bowed.

* * *

When Sasuke enters the flower shop to escape the downpour, the flower girl whirls around, her earthy emerald orbs clashing against obsidian irises as deep as the ocean abyss. She is just finishing up an anniversary order for an elderly couple from the other side of town; her hands are pale and move slowly with a deliberate grace as she fits in the last bit of crimson roses into an elaborate bouquet. The extra she plans on using for the quaint nosegay of forget-me-nots and delicate, ivory lilies she has set aside on the countertop. She hears him come in, as the silvery bell chimes over his head, even if the introverted boy with ebony spikes sulks through shadows as if he were a breath of night finally come to devour what was left of the sun. Her gleaming auburn locks are pulled back into a comfortable plait, a few strands falling into her glowing face as she tilts her head questioningly at the newcomer. No doubt he closely resembles something not unlike a wet dog with his sopping wet hair and attire.

Sasuke pauses for a moment to watch her, studying her carefully as if he has never seen anything quite like her. His aimless coal eyes are blank and calculating -- behind them dwells the shadows of eternal suspicion.

Her hands still just as the carefully arranged flowers fall flawlessly into place and serenely, her round-shaped eyes flicker towards his, growing increasingly inquisitive with each second of silence that passes. She stares at the teenaged boy with a touch of awe that flashes vividly across those uniquely phenomenal green spheres of hers; something like recognition, longing, and _hellogoodbye_. A sweet, sincere smile curves her soft, pink lips then, one that serves to remind him of a certain timid Hyuuga heiress back home.

"Hello. I don't believe I've seen you around this part of town before," the woman says brightly in welcome, and Sasuke slowly looks up at her with her cheerful greeting only to be met with her soft stare. Her voice is unshakable, graceful, and sweet as honey. "My name is Aerith Gainsborough. What's yours?"

The Uchiha merely stares at her, and Aerith's smile wilts. An uncertain frown suddenly appears on her porcelain face. This will probably be one of the few times Sasuke will ever see Aerith frown -- the _one_ time. He doesn't know how he knows this since he has only just met her, but all the same he thinks the look doesn't quite suit her. For a few moments, she simply waits, until she raises an eyebrow in sheer amusement. She tucks her brown hair behind her ear and parts her hair just as he clears his throat, solid gaze straying elsewhere.

" . . . Uchiha Sasuke," he introduces himself in a flawless, almost solemn, gravelly tone. Pain shoots through him. He does not flinch, merely draws in a sharp, quick breath. His gaze from the floor soon meets with Aerith's. She can see the pain in his dark eyes then, and the warmth in her gaze chills with caution as he takes a lurching step forward. Aerith freezes -- he looks amazing, even with the tragedy that she can see in him.

"Are you all right?" she questions amiably, dress skirt swaying as she takes a step around the counter. Her brilliant verdant eyes shine with bewilderment and gloss over with gentle concern, something that is simply puzzling in Sasuke's mind.

And then he feels the warmth on his chest.

Blood.

The flower girl rushes forwards just as Sasuke's weary body crumples uselessly to the wooden boards below. Then Aerith is leaning over him, and somehow she has got his shirt off, because she is pressing her hands against his naked chest, allowing the warmth of her green magic to envelope his frame from her palms to each raw gash and bruise. The length of her slender arm brushes his and he smells her hair, something delicate and whimsical, something like the dense pale petals of lilacs in mid-bloom, sprays of pure white and lavender blooms pressing against the frosted glass, their scent drifting in like light.

It seems like such a shock, the schism, the pure difference between Aerith and him everywhere else, concerning almost any other topic, and this one instant. In the willowy bend of her feminine figure, full and ripe and lush against the press of rose-colored cotton, she is so frail looking, so delicate, but her heart, so warm and strong, filled with this beautiful, shimmering light, forces him to consider that maybe it is the sign of a strong heart; a powerful heart, that one can take on the burden of being loved and the burden of another's pains.

Sasuke says words he has never and will never say to anyone else. "Help me," he murmurs out, before succumbing to the ebony darkness of unconsciousness. _Save me._

She holds him tightly against her chest, her lips moving in his dark, matted hair as she whispers, "I will."

* * *

The rain clouds begin to disperse after a long, dreary day.

"Oh, look!" Aerith chirps serenely to the teenaged boy beside her, gesturing happily to the heavens above. "It's finally stopped raining." A pair of onyx and viridian eyes meet, one holding a calm and aloof manner, while the other holds a warmth and refreshing naiveté. Sasuke sheers his line of vision to the skyline that lays overhead at once, a slight flush rising to his cheeks and shattering his famous composure.

There is a light smile on Sasuke's lips as he continues to gaze up above. "So it would seem."

And the flower girl is right. The eventide sky is now painted in alluring colors of citrus and scarlet, smears of the impending twilight glinting off of every rain-laden surface in the distance. The air is swelling with a soothingly divine phenomenon of whimsical cleanliness, sensational enough for one to obtain the most pleasant of feelings after a passing storm. Everything is quiet and serene as all the dark, intimidating clouds fade away into wisps at long last, crystalline drops cascading from every rooftop, and all of Radiant Garden is safe.

Sasuke still hears the whispered tune; sung by children who wish for the sun. The difference? Now, he sees two people, who seem completely opposite, watching the storm finally depart from their lives forever.

_. . . Come again some other day_.

_**--f**in._


End file.
